Saturday, November 5, 2011

What Say You Saturday: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

I'm kind of wishy-washy about dystopian fiction. It has to be well-written, or else I finish it feeling irritated, depressed and "the end is nigh"- ish (if that makes any sense). Also, when it comes to stories like Wither, Matched and Delirium - which I did read the other day and actually liked - I feel a bit queasy about a future where finding your ideal mate is all anyone thinks about. Surely humanity can't be that shallow?

But I digress.

I've been reading up on Wither via Goodreads, Amazon and the like, and there seems to be mixed ratings. The polygamy aspect of it especially is making me a little uneasy. Can anyone tell me if this is worth reading, or if I should just give it a pass?

What Say You Saturday is a weekly meme hosted by Ren's Rambles. Check out the host blog for more details. I highly recommend participating.

(Thanks Mickey @ I'm A Book Shark! Without her post, I wouldn't have been able to jump in.)